Kendall Wright Can Be a Number One Receiver in the NFL

By Guest Writer Matt Gonzales:

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Kendall Wright is a player with a big NFL future ahead of him.

The talented wideout will be entering his second season as a professional, after a promising rookie campaign where fans saw him rack up 64 catches for four scores. What is particularly impressive is he put up those numbers in spite of having to deal with a bit of a quarterback carouse, due to an injury to Jake Locker.

The shifty Wright showed off his change-of-direction skills, along with his breathtaking straight-line speed, which was lauded by analysts coming out of college. While some questioned whether Wright could play on the outside, he did a good job in that role, along with playing in the slot. It is such a luxury to have a player with Wright’s playmaking ability who you can put at multiple places on the field.

It would not be surprising to see Wright be one of the league’s leading receivers in terms of receptions in the future. He has that kind of potential. While he may not be an AJ Green or Megatron type talent, it would not be surprising to see him have a Steve Smith, circa 2005 peak. Both are shifty, speedy receivers who are proving that you don’t have to have fantastic size to be effective at the position. At one point in time, Steve Smith was talked about as the best receiver in football. While Wright may not ever reach that level, he’s still capable of being a Pro Bowl level pass catcher that gives defensive coordinators headaches.

Wright made some news this offseason when he mentioned that he lost 14 pounds, which puts him at 187 pounds, partly by giving up junk food.

“For the most part, it wasn’t about the running,” Wright told reporters in May. “I just started taking care of my body and eating right. I wasn’t eating right at all. I was eating a lot of junk food because that’s what I like and that’s what I’d buy, but I cut down on that and just started eating right.

While a player losing that much weight when he is already sub-200 pounds may be a durability risk, it could improve his route-running and speed – which is a scary thought. The fact that Wright is already evaluating what he needs to do with his body in order to improve his health long-term speaks volumes to the mindset Wright has.

Next season, Wright could take a big step in his development based on what he has done this offseason, along with, of course, the development of his quarterback, Locker. Wright is capable of being a number-one receiver in this league. It will be exciting to see how he develops throughout his career.

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